How to watch Serbia vs. Australia Olympic men’s basketball quarterfinal game

Nikola Jokic and Serbia take on the Aussies in the quarterfinal round of men’s basketball at the Paris Games

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; Serbia shooting guard Bogdan Bogdanovic (7) dribbles against South Sudan shooting guard Bul Kuol (7) in the fourth quarter during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Two medal contenders square off in the quarterfinal round of men’s basketball at the Paris Games on Tuesday morning, when Nikola Jokic and Serbia take on Patty Mills and Australia at Bercy Arena.

Serbia, led by its three-time NBA MVP from the Denver Nuggets, handled its business against Puerto Rico and South Sudan to advance to the knockout stage following its opening group stage loss to Team USA. The Serbs dominated the rest of the competition, posting an average margin of victory of 26.0 points behind double-doubles from Jokic, who put up 18.7 points, 11.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists in the first three Olympic competitions.

That’s not to overshadow the efforts of Serbia’s supporting cast. Atlanta Hawks guard Bogdan Bogdanovic led the team in group play with 19.0 points on 54.1% shooting from the field and 52.9% from 3-point range. The 6-foot-5 sharpshooter had 30 points and eight assists in a double-digit win over South Sudan.

Former Gonzaga men’s basketball standout Filip Petrusev has been a nice complementary piece next to Jokic in the frontcourt. In 29.0 minutes per game, Petrusev averaged 9.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in group play, which was highlighted by a 15-point, 9-rebound outing in a blowout win over Puerto Rico.

That all said, Serbia’s offense hummed to open Olympic competition. It averaged the second-most points (95.7) and shot the second-highest field goal percentage (52.6%), both of which were second to the U.S.

Australia, meanwhile, battled through a rocky start and got some much-needed help from other teams to advance to the knockout stage despite losing two of its three games in group play. Following a 12-point win over Spain in the opener, the Aussies were overwhelmed by Canada in a 93-83 loss, followed by a 77-71 defeat at the hands of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Greece.

Even so, Australia’s -4 point differential was better than the Greeks (-8) in Group A, which ended up being the tiebreaker between the 1-2 teams.

Former Saint Mary’s big man Jock Landale led the Aussies with 17.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in group play. Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey has done a little bit of everything in his first taste of Olympic basketball, as he put up 15.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.

Tuesday’s highly anticipated quarterfinal is the next chapter in the budding rivalry between Australia and Serbia, which also met twice in the 2016 Rio Games and most recently in an exhibition game on July 16. The Serbs dominated the semifinal matchup in 2016, though Australia has won three of the past five head-to-head meetings overall.

The winner takes on either the U.S. or Brazil in the semifinal round on Wednesday.

HOW TO WATCH SERBIA VS. AUSTRALIA

What: Serbia and Australia meet in the quarterfinal round of men’s Olympic basketball
When: 8:30 a.m. ET/5:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday, Aug. 6
Where: Bercy Arena | Paris, France
Live stream: Watch the 2024 Olympics live on Peacock
Betting odds per SI Sportsbook: Serbia -6.5 (-105); O/U 173.5 (-110)

ROSTERS

Team Serbia:
* Bogdan Bogdanovic
* Nikola Jokic
* Nikola Milutinov
* Vasilije Micic
* Nikola Jovic
* Ognjen Dobric
* Vanja Marinkovic
* Marko Guduric
* Filip Petrusev
* Aleksa Avramovic
* Dejan Davidovac
* Uros Plavsic

Team Australia:
* Dyson Daniles
* Josh Giddey
* Patty Mills
* Josh Green
* Joe Ingles
* Matthew Dellavedova
* Dante Exum
* Jock Landale
* Nick Kay
* Jack McVeigh
* Will Magnay
* Duop Reath